


An Introspection on Family

by orphan_account



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Family, Farmhouse (The Last of Us), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29930457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ellie goes back to Jackson to accompany Dina as the baby's due date nears.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Jesse (The Last of Us)
Kudos: 19





	An Introspection on Family

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this fic after being inspired by the wonderful writers who participated in elliedina week last week. if any of you are reading, y'all are fucking legendary.

Ellie’s mind was rushing, rushing, rushing. Rushing down the stairs to the door that held Joel inside. When the door vanished, she found that her head was rushing, trying to comprehend this heat. Rushing to throw this thing off of her, this thing that had tangled itself around her legs.

The blanket. She had thrown the blanket to the other side of the bed where Dina was asleep. Thankfully, still sleeping. Ellie brought a shaky hand to her own forehead. It was covered in sweat. Another bad dream. It should have come as no surprise to her, honestly. But she was still never prepared for them.

Ellie sat up on the edge of the bed to reorient herself and steady her breathing. She looked back at Dina. Still asleep, but not for long if she started overheating because of the blanket. Ellie pulled it flat from where it was folded over itself and balled up on top of Dina. Thankfully, Dina was a heavy sleeper in her pregnancy (when she did fall asleep).

After taking care of that, Ellie stood. She would have to crack open a window or something. She’d get some water first, though. The walk down the stairs was fine in the dark. Ellie knew her way around here now. She filled a glass with water and drank, relishing it. She resolved to get a window cracked and climb back into bed quickly, though. For Dina.

Ellie climbed up the stairs a bit quicker than she had gone down them. She cracked the window and took a second to enjoy the cool early Autumn breeze before she went back to bed. If she were to be honest with herself, she knew that she wasn’t tired, nor did she really feel like going back to bed. She climbed in anyway.

A yawn came from the other side of the bed. “Hey, babe,” Dina whispered. She lay under the blanket and Ellie could see the soft smile on her face that almost made the dark room seem a little brighter.

“Hey. Get back to sleep, yeah?” Ellie settled under the covers herself and moved a strand of hair out of Dina’s face. She moved the hand to Dina’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek before settling back down on her own pillow.

“Yeah, yeah…” Dina mumbled. Ellie lay there until Dina fell asleep and soon enough, sleep took her as well.

The next morning (while lazily cuddling), Ellie remembered something important.

“Holy shit babe, you’re due in a week. We need to go to Jackson, like,  _ today.” _

Dina chuckled. “Yeah, probably.”

Ellie felt a pang of guilt and started to pull away from Dina. It was probably her own fault that they had put off going to Jackson for this long.

Dina grabbed Ellie’s arm and pulled her back. Ellie resumed holding her. “It’s okay,” Dina said. “We can go to Jackson, get this fucking baby out of me, and bring them back home right after.”

They lay like that a while together talking, planning their trip to Jackson. The morning came and went.

The ride to Jackson was strangely quiet. Neither said much, except for one odd quip about the horse from Dina. It reminded Ellie of that first day in Seattle, but she didn’t say so.

Once they had let Japan into the stables, all that was left was Jackson proper. Ellie already didn’t like being here. She knew that she was expected to stay at Jesse’s parents’ house. She had known that in advance, but wasn’t really prepared for it and became more aware of that fact by the minute. It was like the closer her feet took her there, the less she could bear going.

Dina’s voice took her out of her panic. “You need to sit down for a sec, babe?” she asked.

“No, I don’t- fuck, I should be worried about you right now, Dina. Let’s just go.”

Jesse’s parents, Robin and Junyoung, were very accommodating. It was all Ellie could have asked of them. They knew what to ask and they knew what not to ask, what topics they should leave out of conversation.

If Ellie hurt this bad from being around Jesse’s parents, how would she be able to take care of Jesse’s son? The thought plagued her as she lay on the guest bed- thankfully, not Jesse’s old room. Jesse’s old room had too many memories. She could barely even look at the door without remembering too many things, too many times she had snuck in to smoke or talk or just chill with her best friend.

And then she was expected to deal with his family for, likely, another whole week and then some.

The next few days came and went. Ellie accompanied Dina to the clinic, but other than that mostly kept to herself. Speaking with Jesse’s parents was mostly kept to a minimum. Dina knew that Ellie didn’t really want to be there, and so she tried to the best of her ability to keep Ellie out of situations where she would have to talk a lot.

Even years ago, they had welcomed her into their home when she really just wanted to hang out with Jesse and they had insisted that she have dinner with them. Ellie would make up an excuse but end up staying anyway just because she loved his family. Sometimes Dina would be there too, but most of the time, Ellie and Jesse enjoyed their self-proclaimed “bro time”. This meant no girlfriends (no Dina and definitely no Cat. Jesse was “cool” with Cat, but Cat was never part of their trio).

Ellie remembered how she had stayed over here after breaking up with Cat. Not here in this room. She had fallen asleep high on Jesse’s floor, actually. She remembered waking up the next morning in Jesse’s bed and finding out that the idiot had picked her up and put her on his bed before taking the couch himself.

Really, Robin and Junyoung had accepted Ellie into their family after Salt Lake. She was never really a part of the family, always living in the outskirts, but Jesse’s parents were there for her after her falling out with Joel where Ellie pushed not only Joel away, but even Maria and Tommy as well.

Ellie had been back in Jackson for four days already, but she still hadn’t visited Joel yet. She thought about it every day that she had been back but couldn’t bring herself to do it just yet. She knew she had to, and she would, but not yet.

Visiting Joel, Ellie had to put off. She did, however, decide to give Tommy and Maria a visit.

… Or maybe just Maria. Tommy was, true to his nature now, out drinking. Ellie couldn’t find it in herself to blame him. After all, he had gone through so much shit and then lost an eye and a good leg on top of that. Ellie still didn’t want to deal with a drunk Tommy though, so she resolved to get out of Maria’s hair before Tommy came back.

Maria gave Ellie a hug as she came in, asked where Dina was. Ellie replied with the truth, Dina had hung back to nap. It technically was the truth even though Ellie was sure that if she had told Dina she was going to see Maria, Dina would have come.

Maria was the only “family” in Jackson outside of Dina that it didn’t hurt Ellie to see. She’d gotten Robin and Junyoung’s son killed, and she had gotten Tommy’s brother killed. Maria didn’t have a strong connection with Jesse or Joel. Maria, Ellie could bear to see. They didn’t talk a lot, or for long, but it comforted Ellie. Like Jesse’s parents though, Maria made sure to let Ellie know that she, Dina, and the baby would always have a place in Jackson. Ellie just nodded.

Jesse Joel was born a day early. Ellie was worried out of her mind for Dina while she was in labor, but the doctor said that it actually had gone extremely smooth for a first time mother. Ellie secretly thought that this was bullshit but then put that thought, and all other thoughts outside of this baby, away when she held him for the first time. It was like nothing else she had ever experienced before. It was eye opening and she understood that she would die for this child if she had to.

It was only after JJ was born that Ellie went to see Joel. Her voice cracked but she didn’t let tears fall as she told Joel that she knew he’d be proud of her for having a family.

Ellie, Dina, and JJ left Jackson not too long after.

Ellie silently swore to herself and to Joel that she would protect this child with her life and for the rest of it.

**Author's Note:**

> as always comments and kudos really make my day so if you wanna leave one and/or the other don't shy away from doing so :)


End file.
